I was one of the lucky guys to be chosen among all to help with the CO2 addition this last Thursday. What to do? Putting 37 bottles of 25L seawater in the mesocosms. First of all we had to taste the water to check that is was acidified. To be sure I also swallowed it, but that’s not necessary. After this test we went abroad on the wide ocean, with of course the Wassermann (what other boat to bring Das Wasser). To get at the mesocosms was a task on its own, with a captain who was night-blind. The first mesocosm to be done was immediately the one which needed the most CO2 addition. To add the CO2, a device called ‘the spider’ was used. This device was designed by Jan 1, specially made to distribute the CO2 uniformly in the mesocosm. There was a special way to lift this spider. One has to lift it up (like a living crane), and then somebody else get it from the downside. I was chosen as the living crane, probably due to my monkey arms.

Once inside the mesocosm, the spider had to be gently pulled up and down. This looks easy, but it takes 4.21 minutes a bottle (we had 37 bottles to do, so in the end you will even calculate the exact time to kill time). We were told that it was a heavy job. Andrea started, putting immediately the stakes high by emptying 7 bottles after each other! So now we as the guys also had to prove ourselves.. Lennart was mostly the manager and the DJ. Especially the second task was hard, with only one cd with ten numbers for 4 hours. In the end we could all dream Mumford and Sons.

Halfway  through the job Steve and Jan-2 came by to change the bottles. And for some acidification of our own stomach with some pepsi cola. We did mesocosm after mesocosm, enjoying the silence of the night, and the slow rolling of the waves. Unfortunately no sharks, but the trip was a great teambuilding. On the water, Mario fast asleep on the front deck, under the full moon, Mumford and sons on repeat at the background, at the stroke of twelve the start of Valentine’ s day, it really did feel special. Thanks for this experience and Auf Wiedersehen!